DARTMOUTH — UMass Dartmouth researchers expect to have a new, powerful chemical analysis instrument ready by early June, chemistry and biochemistry professor David Manke said Thursday.

MATT CAMARA

DARTMOUTH — UMass Dartmouth researchers expect to have a new, powerful chemical analysis instrument ready by early June, chemistry and biochemistry professor David Manke said Thursday.

The department of chemistry and biochemistry recently received a National Science Foundation Major Instrument grant to purchase the $339,000 instrument that will contribute to nearly all of the department's projects, according to a university news release.

The instrument, a nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer, uses magnetic fields to figure out the physical and chemical properties of atoms and molecules.

University officials hailed the spectrometer as a "big step forward" in the department's research capabilities, adding that it should also boost their ability to attract new faculty and train students, the release said.

The spectrometer will assist scientists working on a range of projects, the release said.

The Botulinum Research Center, headed by professor Bal Ram Singh, plans to use it to study the structure of antidotes for botulism — a potent toxin — that are being developed from natural compounds. Another professor, Sivappa Rasapalli, will use the instrument in his research developing pharmaceuticals from natural products, the release said.

The spectrometer will also be used by faculty in the university's engineering college and by a professor at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Falmouth.